GRAND COUNTY, Colo. — Inclement weather including snow, ice and wind at high elevations has hampered search efforts on the ground for a Fort Collins man who went to Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 27 and hasn't been seen since, said park officials.
The National Park Service said in a news release on Thursday that search efforts for Chad Pallansch are ongoing. The search team planned helicopter flights for Thursday to survey the area for suitable landing zones so teams can get into the area.
If the weather holds out, the park service said, ground searchers and dog teams will be flown into several search areas. The park is enacting some closures "to limit scent distractions and assist the effectiveness of the dog team," according to a news release from the park service.
The park closure begins at 6 p.m. Thursday and runs from Mount Alice to McHenry's Peak, including Black Lake and Lion Lake 1, Lion Lake 2 and Snowbank Lake.
On Oct. 1, 38 search team members and 17 others began searching for Pallansch in multiple areas, including Boulder Grand Pass, Mount Alice, McHenry's Peak and Arrowhead. The park service said 51 people were involved in beginning search efforts, including 38 search team members in the field.
Pallansch, an experienced trail runner, had plans to trek a 28-mile route that included crossing the Continental Divide and involved "off-trail travel through steep talus slopes," the park service said.
According to the park service, Pallansch started his route from the East Inlet Trailhead near Grand Lake on Sept. 27 and was last heard from around noon. The next day, park rangers confirmed his vehicle was still parked at the North Inlet Trailhead on the west side of the park.
The following were listed as some of Pallansch's potential travel areas:
- Lake Verna
- Mount Alice
- Chiefs Head Peak
- Black Lake
- Mills Lake
- Flattop Mountain
Pallansch had personal navigation with him, but the device was not designed to assist in emergencies, the park service said.
Pallansch is 5-foot-7, weighs 155 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.
Anyone who has information that could help the investigation, has seen Pallansch or was in any of the areas listed on Sept. 27 is asked to call the National Park Service Investigative Bureau Tip Line at 888-653-0009. People can also contact the park service's investigative team via email at nps_isb@nps.org or on their website.
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